


Marie’s Captain

by Garnet000



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Drama & Romance, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Character of Color, Pirates, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, lesbian pirate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:47:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29492292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Garnet000/pseuds/Garnet000
Summary: Marie is a noble. All she knows is etiquette lessons, piano practice and tea parties. She hates her aristocratic life. She longs for excitement, and she finds it after she has a run in with Captain Redskull.
Relationships: Noble woman: pirate captain
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“Did you see her?”

”No, Marie.”

”But you were there, how could you not see her?”

“Shush, just eat your food.” Marie’s mother snapped. Marie sighed and looked down at her plate, picking at her prosciutto di parma. Marie hated pig meat, the thought of eating something that rolled around in mud all day disgusted her. She set her fork down and sighed.

”Well I just wanted to know what she looked like.”

”She’s probably a he you know.”

”Everyone says it’s a woman.”

”It’s a man.” Marie’s mother retorted. 

“How do you know? You said you didn’t see her.”

”Marie. Stop.” 

Marie stopped talking and crossed her arms. The sounds of silverware against expensive plates filled the silence in the room. Marie couldn’t believe it. Captain Redskull, the most famous and feared pirate in all of Europe just landed on the Italian coast, and her mother was only a couple of blocks away when it happened. Her mother told her that she was visiting some of her friends at a restaurant when she heard people screaming. She saw that they were all running away, and she wisely decided to do the same. Not before she had some officers help escort her home though, of course. Marie frowned at the dumbness of it all. Her mother didn’t even try to get a glance at the pirates.

Marie would do just about anything to get a look at Captain Redskull. The rumor is that the captain is a woman. Marie could barely imagine it. The idea of a woman shooting, fighting, and stealing was so extraordinary to her. It’s such a contrast to her everyday life of etiquette lessons, piano practice, and tea parties. She hated being a noble. Everything about aristocracy is insufferable. The fake-politeness, the shady political moves, and most importantly, the courting. Marie’s mother found new suitors for her almost everyday, and Marie couldn’t stand any of them. She thought of how Captain Redskull didn’t have to meet suitors and longed for the freedom of a pirate. She imagined it would be a grand adventure filled with salty sea air, sea shanties, and occasional sword fighting.

”Marie.” Her mother snapped her out of her thoughts. “Why aren’t you eating?”

”I hate pig.” Marie huffed.

”Ungrateful girl.”

”I bet Redskull doesn’t have to eat pig.”

Marie’s mother slammed her fork onto the table. “Redskull is a murderer and a thief like all rogue pirates! I will hear no more of this Redskull nonsense!”

”May I be excused?”

”Get out.”

Marie abruptly stood up from the dinner table and stomped to her room. She made sure to slam the door as loudly as possibly before jumping into her bed and burrowing herself underneath the large covers. 

It’s true that Redskull is a murderer. In fact, the reason she’s named “Redskull” is because she scalps all of her victims before she kills them. Her ruthless nature is what had made her so famous. But it was the freedom that pirates experienced that enthralled Marie so much. It made her ignore all of the immorality that came with being a pirate. Marie closed her eyes and she began to daydream about what her life would be like if she was a “swashbuckler”. She didn’t bother changing into a nightgown or blowing out the candles before she started dozing off. 

She imagined she was on the deck of a large ship, sailing through the Atlantic. Her daydream began to slowly turn into a real dream. Just as she was about to fall asleep, the sound of a loud explosion made her jerk awake and fall out of bed. 

Marie quickly scrambled to her feet and rushed to the window of her bedroom. The sound was so loud that the cause of it had to be nearby. She tried to peer through the glass to get a good look but she could only see part of the road and the nearest building. She turned around and ran out of the door so that she could look out of the living room window instead. Her mother was already there, peering through the curtains. As soon as she saw Marie she ordered her to stay back.

”Whats going on?!” Marie asked.

”Shush, Marie! Go back to your room!”

”Let me look out the window!”

”No, it might be dangerous! What if there’s gunfire?”

”Well if you think it’s dangerous why are you standing at the window?”

”Damn, Marie! Will you be quiet? I’m trying to see what’s happening!”

Marie crossed her arms and stood behind her mother. After a couple of seconds Marie began to get impatient. She was about to try pushing her aside so that she could look too when she heard gunshots. Her mother screamed and fell to the floor.

”Get down, Marie! Get down!”

Marie gasped and fell to the floor as well. The gunshot sounds persisted, and Marie began crawling towards her mother.

”It’s pirates,” her mother said. I saw one of them. They were pretty far down the road, but those gunshots sounded close. How did they even get this far inland?!”

”Madam Miossi! Miss Marie!” A butler had run into the room. “We need to get you somewhere safe!” 

Marie and her mother both stood up and followed the butler. He lead them to the cellar, where there were maids and other butlers already hiding. The cellar was fairly large, but there was only one candle available. Everyone huddled around it, and Marie’s mother embraced Marie in a tight hug. Marie sensed her mother’s fear and began to cry.

”What’s happening?” She wailed.

”Shush now dear. It’ll be okay.”

Marie’s mother turned towards the butler that lead them to the cellar. “Is there anyone else outside?”

”I didn’t check,” he answered. “You and your daughter were my first priority.”

She began to look around the room and count how many people there were. “There’s two missing,” Marie’s mother stated when she finished. 

“I’ll go get them,” the butler said. He got up and quickly moved out of the cellar. Everyone squinted at the bright light that shone through the door when he opened it. Once the door closed they were left with darkness once again. Marie’s sniffles were the only sound that was heard.

”Oh, stop that Marie.” Her mother said. Marie began to cry harder. She was terrified, and her mother’s chastising didn’t help.

”I wish Charles were here. He would know what to do.” Her mother sighed.

”No he wouldn’t.” Marie retorted. “Dad wouldn’t do anything at all, that coward.”

Marie’s mother held her closer and began to rub her back. “I know that’s just the nerves talking dear. It’ll be fi-“

Marie’s mother was interrupted by another loud explosion. This one sounded incredibly close. Everyone jumped and a few people screamed. 

“Everyone be quiet!” Marie’s mother whisper-shouted. Everyone froze and stared worriedly at her. She had such a scared expression on her face that it unnerved everyone to look at her. Then they all heard rapid footsteps in the house. It sounded like multiple people were running around.

”Blow out the candle,” Marie’s mother ordered. A maid blew it out, and everyone sat still in darkness. They heard heavy footsteps accompanied by shouting. Then they heard a sharp scream. Everyone in the cellar froze. There was no doubt that there were intruders in the house. They also knew that there were butlers outside that were defending them, but by the sounds of it the butlers were losing.

Suddenly, the footsteps became much louder. Then they heard the door to the cellar clicking, as if someone was trying to open it. Once the person on the other side of the door realized it was locked, they started banging on it. Everyone in the cellar began to try and move backwards, but there was nowhere for them to go. 

The door burst open, revealing a large man standing in the doorway. He looked at the group huddling at the back of the room and sneered. 

“They’re in the cellar!” He shouted


	2. Redskull

Marie and her mother’s normal place of residence is in the town of Florencia, which is right in the middle of the Duchy of Tuscany. The War of the Spanish Succession had just ended and her father, a British man, couldn’t have been happier about it. Despite it being two years after the war, however, Charles had recently run into some “legal trouble.” Two years later, and he is still feeling the war’s effects. It is because of this that Charles insisted that Marie and her mother travel to the coast for a short vacation. Marie didn’t know any of this of course, she only knew that her father had forced them to pack their bags and leave. She didn’t know why her birth name was Marie, yet her mother told everyone who asked that her name was “Maria”. She didn’t know why her father disappeared sometimes for days or weeks on end. 

So when a large stranger burst open the door to their hiding place and shouted, “They’re in the cellar!”, the only thing that she could think of was how much she hated her father. If it wasn’t for him she wouldn’t be trembling and crying in the back of a room with her mother, huddling over a single candle. She absolutely hated her father.

Marie turned towards her mother with wide eyes, expecting her to say something, but when she saw the look on her mother’s face she knew that she had no plan. She turned back towards the stranger that had broken their cellar door, and awaited her fate.

The man in the doorway stood still and waited until the men he called out to arrived. There were around four of them and as soon as they were gathered they wasted no time in running into the room and attacking the huddled group. Two men reached out for Marie and her mother, grabbing them both and hauling them out of the room. Marie screamed and thrashed around, she had never been handled so roughly in her life and she was scared out of her wits. Her mother simply struggled, attempting to kick at her attacker with no success.

They watched in horror as the remainder of their household fought against the strange men. The fight was in the doorway, and it was quick and practically silent. The intruders pulled blades from their hips and slashed their victim’s throats so easily that they could barely utter a sound before falling to the floor in a bloody mess.

Marie stared, dumbfounded, at the scene in front of her. Everything felt surreal, she thought that she might be in a nightmare. She didn’t believe that such horror could exist. Yes, she had seen smallpox and hangings and things of that sort, but she had never seen anything like this.

Marie and her mother were dragged to the living room, and by the light of the sun that shone through their window they could see that the men were certainly pirates. Their tattered clothes and matted hair showed that their lives were on the ocean. 

“We only need one of them,” one of the pirates said.

”Which one?”

”Hell if I know.” The pirate shrugged and spit on the floor. Marie’s mother grimaced at the sight.

”Probably the daughter.”

”Alright. Kill the mother.”

Marie screamed and the pirate holding her had to tighten his grip in order to keep her still. He took his hand and placed it around her mouth, attempting to make her quiet down. The pirate holding Marie’s mother began to reach for his blade, but he was stopped by another question.

“Wait, what if the captain cares?” Another pirate asked.

”Yeah Skiv, let’s just take them to her.”

“That’s more work.”

”Aye, so let’s get moving.”

The pirates began dragging Marie and her mother out of their house and down the street. At first, Marie’s eyes lit up at the thought of going outside, she thought that someone would see them and then help them. But once they started walking down the paved path, she saw that there was no one that could help. They were all dead. The bodies of the townspeople, mostly their neighbors, laid strewn about the street. There were even the bodies of officers. The only people that they saw that were still alive were pirates. 

They were forced to walk through the streets for what felt like hours until they reached the docks. Marie began to cry once again when she saw what awaited her. 

There were many ships on the dock, but there was none as magnificent as the ship that belonged to the pirates. It was about three times bigger than all of the rest, and it had large and imposing black sails. There were about 80 pirates swarming around it, talking to each other and laughing. They seemed to be lounging about and doing nothing. The closer they got to the ship, the more Marie noticed how peculiar the pirates were. She had never seen such a diverse looking group of people all in one place. Some were as black as night and some were as white as paper. Some were so short they only came up to her knee, and some had beards that fell to her feet. She noticed that one of the bearded pirates was wearing a dress, and she became confused as to the gender of said pirate. She began to look even closer at the crew and saw that most of them, who she had thought were men at first glance, were actually women. Her mouth dropped when she saw how bold they were to be wearing pants and giant, mannish boots. She was so stunned by the sight that she had forgotten about crying.

When the pirates stopped Marie and her mother at the foot of the boat’s ramp at the very end of the dock, she was dry-eyed. The pirates that were on the ground gathered around the captives, and the pirates that were on the ship looked down from the sides. Very soon after, the pirates parted and made way for a tall figure to walk through.

This pirate was undoubtedly the captain. They had on a large black captain’s hat, and a long, expensive-looking trench coat. Their boots clinked as they walked down the ramp towards where Marie and her mother were. As soon as the captain got close, Marie turned away and crinkled her nose. The captain reeked of the ocean. Marie kept her head down and kept still while the captain stopped to stand directly in front of her.

”Well, well, well. What have we here?” The captain said. Marie’s head shot up at the sound of the captain’s voice. It wasn’t the voice of a rough pirate captain, but the lovely voice of a woman. The captain’s face was mere inches from Marie’s, and as soon as she saw her she couldn’t stop staring. 

The captain’s trench coat was open, revealing the loose white shirt she had on underneath. Beneath the shirt was a tight, leather belt that held the sword and gun that the captain used. Loose brown pants were tucked into the captain’s shiny black boots, and long black hair cascaded in waves down the captain’s front, traveling far past her waist. The darkened skin of the woman glowed under the golden light of the sun. Marie expected the captain to look extremely serious, but it was surprisingly the opposite.

The captain donned a smirk that betrayed the seriousness of her position. Her brown, angular eyes were so bright that they were almost hard to look at. Everything about her conveyed that she was playful, but Marie knew better. Playful doesn’t necessarily mean good. Living as a noble has given her the opportunity to meet her fair share of snakes. No amount of smiling could cover up the malice that Marie was picking up on.

Suddenly, she noticed that the captain had started staring back at her. The way her eyes twitched at every movement that Marie made unnerved her. Her cheeks heated in embarrassment and she quickly looked down at her shoes.

“Keep this one.” The captain spoke abruptly. “Get rid of the other one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooh boi did I have trouble writing the captain. I still don’t think I conveyed her the way that I want. The thing is I see it in my mind, I know EXACTLY what’s she supposed to be like but I can’t write it right;^; I low key turned myself on writing her tho. I need a pirate gf


	3. 3

“No!” Marie cried out. “No! Don’t you touch her!”

”Shut the girl up,” The captain said.

The pirate that was holding Marie placed his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. Despite its filthiness, she bit his hand, but his grip remained firm.

Marie looked towards her mother and watched as another pirate walked towards her. Two pirates were standing on either side of her mother and they held her arms to keep her from running. Marie realized that they didn’t want to stand behind her because she was about to be shot. 

A pirate emerged from the crowd surrounding them, then they walked in front of Marie’s mother and pulled a gun out of the belt on their waist. They raised the gun and aimed right at her mother’s head. Marie closed her eyes and waited for the loud sound of gunpowder and the horrendous thud of her mother’s body hitting the dock.

The pirate with the gun never even got to pull the trigger, however, because Marie’s mother wasn’t going down easily. There was no away that she would allow them to kill her in front of her daughter. Marie’s mother was wearing an expensive and beautiful white, silk shirt. The pirates were only holding her by the arms, and it wasn’t hard for her to pull her arms out of their grip. Her silky smooth shirt helped her.

As soon as she freed herself she started running towards the edge of the dock. Chaos ensued and everyone ran after her. There were only a few pirates near the edge because they never thought their prisoners would run towards the water. Pirates on board the ship cheered on their fellow members below, yelling at them to catch her. The pirates that were behind Marie’s mother sprinted as fast as they could, and the pirates near the edge waited for her to reach them so that they could grab her when she neared.

What they didn’t know was that Marie’s mother exercised everyday. It was a short distance and she happened to be particularly good at sprinting. When she got near the pirates at the dock she dodged them by running in a zigzag pattern. By leaning to the left and dipping to the right she managed to evade all of those that grabbed at her, and as soon as she made it to the edge of the pier she jumped into the water.

The pirate captain shook her head at the inadequacy of her crew. “Do you all have barnacles for brains?! Shoot her!”

The pirates immediately pulled out their guns and began to shoot into the water. Marie’s mother ducked and swam under the dock. While the pirates continued shooting where they last saw her, she was safely hidden beneath their feet. The tide was low enough for there to be space above the water. Marie’s mother kept her head up and tried to ignore the coldness of the water. The pirates continued to shoot for what felt like forever until their captain finally ordered them to stop.

”Damn it! Can’t ya’ll see she’s gone?! Stop giving the fish your bullets!”

The pirates laughed.

”The water’s freezing and she might’ve drowned anyway. Let’s go.”

The pirates that were on the ground began to walk onboard. Marie was dragged towards the boat and she kept turning her head to see if she could spot her mother. She sobbed uncontrollably, thinking that she might’ve drowned. The water is deep and very cold. Cold enough to freeze your limbs stiff if you jumped in. What Marie didn’t know was that her mother’s adrenaline kept her legs kicking. 

Her mother heard the pirates board, then waited until their boat picked up it’s anchor and departed. She waited long until after they were gone, then she swam out from under the dock and found the ladder that swimmers used in the summertime. She climbed back onto the pier, and as soon as she was out of the water, she flopped onto the ground. She began to cry, knowing that whatever awaited Marie was sure to be something cruel. Her daughter was gone, and she was all alone. She knew that she could get officers to help her find her daughter, and because of her noble status, their situation would receive special treatment. But she couldn’t help but feel hopeless. The pirate that took her was Captain Redskull, and Redskull shows no mercy.

***

Marie sat on the floor and took deep breaths, trying not to throw up. She had never been on a boat before, and the swaying was making her feel sick. As soon as Marie boarded, the pirates placed her in the orlop, which served as a place for both storage and a sort of jail. The bottom of the boat was disgusting. It had random barrels of junk and trash littered about, it was obvious that they never cleaned the room. There were cells with tall iron bars on both sides of the giant room, and Marie was placed in the one closest to the door. They didn’t bother placing handcuffs on her, there was no way she could get out of the cells without a key. Even if she did escape, she was on a boat in the middle of the ocean and there was nowhere for her to escape to. There was no chair, so Marie had to resort to sitting on the floor. She had tried to stand at first, but the swaying of the boat had quickly changed her mind. 

She put her head in her hands and continued to take deep breaths. She was exhausted from all of the crying that she had done earlier. 

Suddenly, the door to the room opened and a pirate walked in. Marie looked up and saw that it was the captain. She didn’t have on her captains hat or her trench coat. She looked much more simple with just her large white shirt, and she was holding what looked like a biscuit in her hand.

“Here’s your food.” The captain threw the biscuit through the bars of the cell. It landed on the floor with a loud thud, and Marie looked at it in disgust.

”What about some, uh, water?” Marie asked.

The captain laughed. “There’s some right there.” She pointed to a puddle that was on the floor. 

“I meant some in a cup.” Marie frowned.

The captain sneered, “You do know you’re a prisoner, right? You don’t make demands.”

Marie scooted closer towards the captain. “Why am I here?”

”You’re a part of my plan, Miss Maria Miossi.”

Marie gasped, shocked that the captain knew her name.

”H-how...”

The captain kneeled down and crouched so that she would meet Marie at eye-level. 

“Shh. Just know that we’re going to meet your father, so stay alive until then okay?”

Maria stared back at the captain. She had no idea what she was talking about. 

“Enjoy your biscuit. I’ll be back later.”

The captain turned to leave the room, then stopped in her tracks to address Marie one more time. “Oh, and don’t think you’re special. The only reason I’m here is because I don’t trust my crew alone with you. They’re pretty mean and they might end up killing you.”

After that, the captain smirked then walked away, leaving Marie to her thoughts.


	4. 4

The time Marie spent in her cell before meeting the captain again was miserable. She was hungry, thirsty, and seasick. She sat glumly in her cell for an hour or so before having to use the bathroom. She called out for someone to come and let her out of the cell and take her to the restroom, then after yelling for about 5 minutes she realized that nobody would come to get her. Marie looked around her cell, wondering what she should do about her situation. She became appalled when she saw a lone bucket sitting in the corner. Its function was obvious, but she hated the idea of using it. She held in her need to relieve herself for as long as she could before she forced herself to swallow her pride and use it. 

After finishing her business, she stood up and grabbed the bars of her cell. The only thing she could think about was how unlucky she was. She was a noble, she was too rich and educated for something like this to be happening to her. She was prim, proper, and pretty. These sorts of things didn’t happen to people like her. Going from learning Latin to urinating in a bucket was such a drastic change, and it made her extremely miserable to think about it. She continued to think about the unfairness of her situation until she heard the door to the room burst open once again.

”Greetings prisoner.” The captain grinned and walked into the room carrying a piece of bread and a cup of water.

Marie greedily reached for the bread, sticking her arm through the bars of her cell. The captain smirked and stepped backwards, playfully pulling the bread back.

”Ooh, someone’s hungry.”

”Just give it to me,” Marie said angrily.

”Ask nicely.”

”Rotten pirate,” Marie spoke through gritted teeth. She had spent the last couple of hours agonizing over her current situation. She was was tired of the harsh treatment she’s received and she was angry at the amount of disrespect she’s been shown. The anger she had gave her the confidence to speak out.

“Well, if that’s how you’re gonna behave I’ll just leave then.” The captain turned and headed for the door.

”Wait,” Marie called out quickly. She looked down and sighed in defeat. “Give me the bread, please.” She asked in a soft voice.

The captain gave Marie the bread.

”And the water,” Marie added.

The captain sighed and gave Marie the cup of water. As soon as Marie grabbed it she stepped to the back of the cell and immediately began insulting the captain again. 

”You stupid pirate!” Marie began to eat the bread she was given, yelling at the captain between bites. “You have no right to treat me this way! You rotten bully!”

The captain crossed her arms and stayed quiet. She stared at Marie and watched her yell her horribly lame insults.

”I almost pity you, you pirate wretch! You sad sorry excuse for a person! You’re nothing but a beast! What do you get out of hurting people you-“

The captain cut Marie off by slamming on the bars of the cell, creating a loud banging sound that echoed throughout the room. Marie jumped and pressed her back onto the wall. The sound was terribly loud, and it scared her. Marie knew that only a powerfully strong body could create it. 

The captain glared at Marie, and Marie could only look at the captain for a second before having to look away. 

“You want me to come in there?” The captain asked in a low voice.

Marie shook her head.

”Are you sure? It sounds like you want me to come in there...”

Marie shook her head even faster. The captain laughed.

”You’re pretty brave to yell at me. Do you know why they call me Captain Redskull?”

”Y-y-you’re Captain Redskull?” Marie asked in a trembling voice.

“Oh, you know me? Then you should know how I received my name.”

”Y-you scalp people.”

“Do you want to be scalped?”

”N-n-no.” Marie’s voice broke.

”Then I suggest you respect me from now on.”

Marie nodded. 

“Say ‘yes, captain,’” Redskull demanded.

”Yes, captain.”

”Look at me.”

Marie lifted her head up. There wasn’t a hint of a smile on the captain’s face, yet she didn’t seem angry. The look in the captain’s eyes showed that she was completely serious, Marie knew that she meant every word of what she said. But her look was one of amusement, not anger. Marie realized that it was because the captain was in control. There was no need for Redskull to be angry because Marie was completely at her mercy. The captain was like a cat playing with its prey, deadly yet nonchalant with its violence. It made Marie wonder how the captain turned out this way, it was obvious that Redskull had little to no morality. 

“Yes, captain.” Marie said.

”I like fast learners.” The captain turned around and headed for the door. “Goodnight, Miss Maria.”

”Marie,” Marie uttered.

”What was that?”

”My real name is Marie.”

”Marie then.” Redskull nodded then walked out of the room.

Marie sank to the floor and placed her head between her legs. Why was she here? Why did Captain Redskull kidnap her in the first place? Before crying herself to sleep that night, she prayed that things would turn out okay. She didn’t know what was to come, and she was scared for the future. That night she had nightmares about bleeding heads and demon pirates. 


	5. 5

Madam Miossi was not one to be idle. She almost always got what she wanted due to her dominant and overbearing nature. When she was a teenager, she was under the threat of losing her inheritance because of her reckless behavior. Her parents made it known that they would disown her if she didn’t start acting like a noble woman and marry of someone of their choosing. As a response to her parent’s oppressive rule, she married someone she loves, a young, rich, British man. She received a large amount of backlash for her decision. Her parents were very high up in the nobility chain, and defying them damaged their reputation. Her parents were furious, but Miossi held could care less. She hated authority, and she hated things not going her way.

Her parents eventually decided not to disown her, but only if she left and never came back. She then moved to the Duchy of Tuscany, had a child, and gave her the British name “Marie”. Now her husband was who knows where and her daughter was aboard Captain Redskull’s pirate ship, sailing to what was certainly her doom. This was the scariest situation that Marie’s mother has ever faced, and she didn’t know what to do. 

The first thing that Miossi had done after getting back home was gather all of the money that they had. There was no way that she was going to be able to continue living in that house. She wanted to make sure that she took all of the essentials so that she wouldn’t have a reason to come back.The next thing she did was head to the nearest patrol office.

Once she walked into the building everyone turned and stared at her. An officer approached her.

”Are you a noble, ma’am?” He asked.

Miossi dusted off her expensive dress and lifted her head high. “I am Benedetta Miossi of the Miossi family.”

The officer was shocked. “We checked your house hours ago, we had assumed that you were killed.”

”Almost.”

”Sit Signora Miossi. Sit please.” The officer gestures to a chair beside him. “Tell us where you were during the attack.”

All of the officers gathered around and listened to Miossi tell her story. She began from the moment she heard gunshots and ended at the part where she swam out from under the dock. The officers listened to every word, and at the end they had a group discussion about the best course of action for the situation. They decided to take Miossi to her family’s estate. Once they escorted her there she would decide if she wanted to buy a new house or if she would stay with her parents until the situation was resolved. They would also dispatch some officers to look for Redskull’s pirate ship, but they made sure to tell Miossi that there were no promises that they’d find it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mini chapter


	6. Chapter 6

"Why aren't you eating?" Redskull asked.

Marie stared at the piece of bread that she had been given and sighed. This is the third time that Redskull has come to visit her, and it was the second day of living aboard a pirate ship. The night she spent in the cell was the worst night of her life. It was dark so she couldn't see anything, and there were many unnerving creaking noises. At more than one point she had heard rats moving around. She hated living in the cell, and she hated not knowing why she was there even more. 

She wondered what would become of her father. Her mother was likely dead, and she was probably about to die as well. He would be suddenly left without his family. 

Marie's head quickly snapped up. Thinking about her father made her remember the conversation she had had with Redskull when she first met her. 

"Captain?" Marie asked.

"Yes?"

"When I first came here, you had said that we were going to meet my father."

"What?"

"You said we were meeting my father, remember?"

"No." Redskull sighed and began picking at her nails.

"Well you said it, which means that we are, right?"

"Yeah." 

"Why?"

"Eat your food." Redskull snapped.

Marie sadly looked down at her piece of bread and took a tiny bite. She looked back up at Redskull and decided to chance asking her about it again. 

"Is it for ransom?"

Redskull laughed. We're pirates, we don't ask people for money, we just kill them then steal it."

"Then why aren't I dead?"

Redskull frowned. "You ask too many questions."

"But-"

"Shut it."

Marie leaned forward and was about to snap back at Redskull until she remembered the last time she had made her mad. Marie decided to stay quiet, and she turned around so that her back was facing the captain. She tried to take more bites of her bread, but the way Redskull had just snapped at her made her so upset that she began to cry. The captain was being mean to her, and she couldn't even do anything about it. She put the bread down and wiped her tears on her sleeve. Redskull grimaced at Marie's pathetic sniffling. 

"Stop that," the captain said. But Marie kept on crying into the sleeves of her shirt. 

"I can't tell you why you're here." Redskull spoke sternly. 

Marie said nothing and kept crying.

"Are you this much of a baby all the time?"

"Only when I'm captured by pirates and kept in a jail cell in the bottom of their boat."

"Brig." Redskull corrected.

"What?"

"We don't call it a jail cell, it's called a 'brig'"

"Brig, jail, whatever. It's still horrible in here."

"It's not that bad." The captain said, waving a hand towards the room.

"There's junk and trash everywhere."

"Atmosphere," Redskull offered.

"There's rats too."

Redskull paused. "Well maybe if you get really hungry you can catch them and eat them."

"Disgusting!"

Redskull laughed. Marie turned around and faced Redskull, frowning.

"It isn't funny."

"It is."

Marie shook her head then looked down at the ground. "It's so stuffy here. And dark. I miss the sun."

Redskull rolled her eyes at Marie's self-pity. "Well then, if you miss the sun that much let's take you to the deck."

Marie's eyes lit up and she quickly stood. She didn't know pirate lingo, but because of her education she knew that "deck" meant the top of the ship. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Oh, thank you-"

"But under these conditions."

Marie blinked at her.

"You do everything I say, no questions asked."

"Understood." Marie spoke quickly. She didn't really care about Redskull's conditions, she only wanted to get out of the cell.

"I mean it. If I say jump, you jump. If I say run, you run. And you better not hesitate."

"Understood." Marie nodded.

"Hmmmm...Let's test this out first." Redskull's eyes glinted, and Marie detected malice in her voice.

"Jump."

"Wha-?" Marie was flustered.

"Are you hesitating?" The captain yelled in an angry voice.

Marie quickly jumped, and the captain burst out laughing. As the captain clutched her sides and began wiping tears from her eyes, Marie felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment. 

"You are not nearly as funny as you think you are." Marie spoke through gritted teeth. Her anger made her forget about being scared of the captain.

The captain simply kept laughing. She reached into the waistband of her pants and pulled out a large set of keys. Marie assumed that these keys opened every door on the ship. The captain unlocked the door to the cell and Marie stepped out. She hoped that there were no tearstains on her face. Even though she knew that she was only going to see pirates and that there was no need to look good for them, she still felt the urge to lick her fingers and smooth her eyebrows down.

The captain had calmed down her laughing but was still quietly giggling. Marie stepped towards the door but felt herself pulled back by the captain's arm. Redskull had wrapped her arm around hers, and Marie winced at the strength the captain used. Marie guessed that Redskull wants to keep her close. Marie wondered if she thought she was going to try to jump off the side of the ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> redskull turned out way meaner than i expected 
> 
> i didnt mean to write u like this my character o.O
> 
> ooh but strangers to enemies to lovers tho


	7. Chapter 7

Walking through the hallways of the ship was a nightmare for Marie. Every pirate they passed sneered at her or chuckled to themselves. She didn’t like being stared at and she definitely didn’t like being laughed at.

Redskull kept a tight hold on Marie as they took the stairs to the top of the ship. When they passed the last doorway and made it to the top, Marie couldn’t help but gasp. 

The first thing that Marie noticed was the size of the ship. It was huge, and despite there being many floors inside of the ship there were two floors on top of the deck as well. The top floor was near the back, and it had the ship’s wheel and many small tables near it. There were stairs that led to the floor below it, which was the one that Marie and Redskull were standing on. There were two large masts on the deck, one near the front and one near the back. 

There were pirates everywhere, and in so many shapes, sizes, and skin colors that it made Marie’s head spin. Some of the pirates were doing things such as mopping the floors or pulling ropes attached to the sails. All of the other pirates were laughing and talking with each other. Some were sitting at tables, playing cards and rolling dice. Some were simply standing or sitting in groups, deep in conversation. All of the talking seemed to stop, however, when Marie arrived.

Marie stood still for a moment, letting a strong breeze blow in her face and the salty smell of the sea fill her nose. Forgetting about the pirates that were staring at her, she lunged forward, immediately trying to get to the edge of the ship so that she could a take a good look at the ocean. Redskull held her grip on Marie’s arm, forcing her to stay where she was.

Marie rolled her eyes. “Can I please go to the edge of the ship? I’ve never been this far out on the ocean before.”

”Yes. But not without me.”

”I’m not gonna jump off the edge. Can you at least let go of my arm?”

Redskull let go of Marie and walked behind her towards the edge of the ship. All of the pirates on the deck resumed talking, but most of them still stared at Marie.

The sight of the ocean was breathtaking. They were completely surrounded by water, and the sky was empty and light blue. There was nothing near them for miles around. The feeling was one of isolation and smallness. Marie couldn’t stop staring at the water, and Redskull was inwardly smiling at her reaction. 

The moment was interrupted by the voice of a pirate nearby. 

“Captain, it looks like you’ve taken a liking to the prisoner!” The voice yelled. Marie turned and saw that it came from a short man sitting at one of the tables. He had on an eyepatch and a mean expression.

Redskull simply crossed her arms and smiled, saying nothing. 

“I can see why, too!” Another voice chipped in. “Do all nobles look that good?”

The pirates erupted in a fit of laughter, and Marie scowled at them. She was not flattered at all, she was simply irritated.

”Mind yer business!” Redskull shouted. The pirates quieted down. “She only looks pretty to y’all because you’re stuck looking at each other’s faces!”

The pirates erupted in laughter once again. “You’re right, cap! If I have to look at Mort’s ugly mug for one more second I’m jumping overboard.” Eyepatch man said while pointing at a pirate next to him. Marie liked to think that beauty came in many forms and shapes and that everyone was beautiful, but when she saw who Eyepatch Man was pointing at she had to agree that Mort did indeed have an “ugly mug.”

”But wait a second,” Mort said. “She is awfully pretty though. You’re married right?” He asked.

Marie was taken aback by the question. She was hoping that none of the pirates would try to talk to her. “Um, no.”

“No? I thought all noble women were married at like, 16 or something.”

”I don’t wanna marry.”

”Maybe something’s wrong with her then.” Eyepatch man said.

”Definitely. Maybe she’s got warts?” Mort said.

“Or bad teeth?” Another pirate chipped in.

“Or no toes!”

Other pirates continued to shout out things that they thought were wrong with Marie while some of the pirates that were standing nearby started walking towards her and the captain. So many pirates walked up to them that they were quickly surrounded. They kept laughing and jeering at her, doing dramatic things such as staring at her as if they were trying to see if she had warts on her face. 

She walked behind Redskull and cowered behind her. She wondered why the captain was saying nothing about her pirates’ behavior. Why hasn’t she stopped them? As Marie stood behind Redskull and wondering when she would stop her crew, she noticed that the captain’s shoulders were shaking as if she were chuckling. Redskull was laughing at the situation. 

“Are you laughing?” Marie asked angrily.

“Of course,” Redskull replied. “It’s a little funny.”

”I don’t find this funny.” Marie fumed.

”Captain!” A pirate shouted. Marie looked and saw that it was Eyepatch Man. The crowd made way for him as he made it to the front of the crowd. He stood right in front of Redskull, and he looked rather annoyed. “Don’t you think this whole situation’s unnecessary?”

”What do you mean?” The captain asked. 

“I mean she doesn’t need to be here.”

Redskull stiffened and the mood in the atmosphere changed. Marie didn’t know what the man was talking about, but she knew that Redskull didn’t want to hear it.


	8. Chapter 8

Eyepatch man and the captain stared each other down. Marie looked between the both of them and determined by their attitude that they’ve had this conversation before.

“We can’t just go in and shoot up the place, Scrap.” Redskull said through gritted teeth. Marie thought that the name Scrap suited Eyepatch man very well. 

“Why not?” Scrap asked angrily. “It’s what we usually do!”

”Are you questioning my judgement? You think I don’t know what I’m doing?”

”No, captain. That’s not what I’m saying-“

”It’s heavily guarded, and I don’t want to lose any crew members. Are you saying you don’t care about the crew?”

”No, captain.”

”Then what’s your problem?”

”We weren’t through a lot of trouble to get her.” Scrap pointed at Marie. “But we don’t need leverage. We have swords and guns.”

”First of all, we had no trouble capturing her. We cut through those weak civilians and officers like butter. Second of all, we will be outnumbered, we need to at least try another way. And third of all,” Redskull stepped forward, putting her face an inch away from Scrap’s face. “This is insubordination.”

Scrap stared at her for a few seconds before having to look away from the captain’s piercing gaze. 

“Sorry, cap.”

Scrap walked away, pushing through the crowd of pirates that surrounded him. Redskull looked around to see that everybody was staring at her.

”Get out of here! Show’s over, go play cards or something!”

All of the pirates slowly walked away, mumbling about the argument that just happened. Redskull turned around and saw that Marie was still cowering by the railing. Redskull chuckled at Marie’s worried expression.

”They’re gone now, you can calm down.” 

“Am I leverage? Leverage for what?”

Redskull groaned. “I’m getting tired of all these questions.”

Marie looked down sadly.

”So I guess I’ll just have to answer them so you’ll stop bothering me about it.”

Marie’s head perked back up and she smiled. “Really?”

”Come take a walk with me.”

Marie walked towards Redskull, and the captain put her arm around Marie’s once again. They began to walk alongside the railing of the ship, traveling towards the bow.

”What did you mean when you said we were going towards my father?”

”Do you know what the Banca D’oro is?”

”Yes, it’s a goldsmith that turned into a very large bank that holds most of the governments funds.” Marie answered.

”Not anymore. At the end of this week, all of the gold will be transported to another bank farther inland.”

Marie blinked at Redskull. She didn’t know what any of this had to do with her father. “Oh. How do you know?”

”I have men on land that give me information.”

“Huh.” Marie was amazed at the captain’s assets. She had a large ship with almost eighty pirates under her, and she had men on land that also followed her orders. It made Marie curious as to how she acquired such power. “I wonder why they’re moving the gold.” Marie said.

”It’s because of all of the recent pirate attacks on the coast. Honestly, I’m not sure why they haven’t moved the gold any sooner.”

”Hmm, that makes sense. But wait, why hasn’t the bank been attacked already? The pirate incidents have been happening for a while now.”

”It has been attacked, it’s just that no one’s been successful. All of the pirates that have tried have failed. There’s way too many guards.”

”Oh.”

”Anyways, we’re going to attack it this Sunday.”

”What?!” Marie was confused. “You just said all other pirates have tried and failed!”

”We won’t.”

“How do you know?”

”Because we have you.” The captain smiled. 

“What do I have to do anything?”

”When we arrive at the coast, there will almost certainly be boats surrounding the area. We will send out a small boat with a white flag on it. On that boat will be you and another pirate, probably my first mate Scrap. Nobody will shoot the boat because nobody would pass up the opportunity to capture me, the greatest pirate in all of Europe.” Redskull gestured to herself and smirked. Marie would have rolled her eyes if she wasn’t so interested in the captain’s explanation. “Then once our little ‘we surrender’ boat makes it through, Scrap will tell everyone that he will shoot you if they don’t let our ship through. There’s no way that the great privateer Captain Luca Miossi would let his daughter be killed.”

Marie’s jaw practically hit the deck. Her father’s name was Luca Miossi. But her father wasn’t a privateer, he was a business man that helped sell things abroad. He managed exports, he was definitely not the captain of a ship. Marie was so shocked by this strange development that she ignored the fact that her life was going to be threatened.

”Miossi? My father? You must be joking, my father is not a pirate.”

”Well technically a privateer.” The captain said.

”That’s just a legal pirate!”

”True.”

Privateers were issued by the government and were allowed to do the same things that pirates did, but they could only commit crimes against the country’s enemies. That being said, they don’t necessarily do as they’re told all the time. Privateering is a shady business, but it’s also a rich one. It would explain all of the money that her father brings home. It would also explain some of the bruises that her father would have. Every time Marie would ask about it he would brush it aside by saying he fell or that he got in a fight in a bar.

The more that Marie thought about it, the more she realized that the idea wasn’t so far fetched. She hated that the more she thought about it, the more sense it seemed to make.

”My father is no pirate.” Marie said sternly.

”He is, and he’s one of the best ones. He’ll be guarding Banca D’oro, and-“

”No he won’t! He’s not a pirate! Why are you lying!”

Redskull stiffened. “I am no liar. If you really didn’t know that your father was a privateer then it sounds like he was the one that was the liar.”

”How dare you?!” Marie’s voice rose, and pirates that were standing nearby turned to look at her.

”He’s a privateer Captain and he controls multiple ships. He has a large army and he’s going to be with them this Sunday.”

”Stop lying!”

”I’m not that surprised that you don’t know. Privateers are not bragged about, with them being so controversial and all. Piracy is illegal, and yet the government has their own private pirates.”

”Shut up!” 

Marie regretted her words almost as soon as they came out of her mouth. The captain tightened her hold on Marie to the point where it hurt her. Marie winced and bit her lip. 

“Do you not remember what I said last time?” The captain asked while tightening her grip on Marie. 

“Ow, ow, let go.” Marie whined. She didn’t understand how a woman could be so strong. She never imagined that a woman could have bicep muscles until now. She was sure that her upper arm was bruising from the brutal squeezing that Redskull was giving it.

”I said to respect me, didn’t I?”

”I’m sorry, captain. Ow, you’re hurting me.” Redskull kept squeezing Marie’s arm, and Marie was reduced to squirming around to try to break free of her grip.

”It doesn’t feel like you’re respecting me. I’m the captain, and as such I don’t like disrespect.”

”Ow, ow, ow, I’m sorry! Please don’t scalp me!”

Redskull immediately let go of Marie and burst out laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bow = front of the ship 
> 
> Also fun fact - pirates are just bad guys that do bad things and are illegal, privateers were pirates hired by the government, corsairs were pirates that fought for religion, and buccaneers were enemies of Spain and raided a lot of their shipping


End file.
